Schemers is based on the true story surrounding music promoter David McLean‘s stream of ambitious gigs in 1980’s, which included Simple Minds, XTC, Ultravox, The Skids & Iron Maiden, before going on to successfully manage the career of Placebo for over 25 years!

Schemer – a person who is involved in making secret or underhanded plans.

The film follows Davie (Conor Berry) who is a dreamer from the council schemes of Dundee, who is constantly hustling for his next buck, then losing it gambling on the horses or at the casino. After a football injury, Davie falls for trainee nurse Shona (Tara Lee) and tries to impress her by running a disco. Along with friends John and Scot, the trio start promoting bands – culminating in a hugely ambitious Iron Maiden gig at the Caird Hall, Dundee. With ambition so grand they go deep in debt with Fergie, a gangster of legendary violence, Davie needs to use every trick to pull off the biggest scheme of his life.

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Check out the great soundtrack for the film here.

Shot in and around Dundee, SCHEMERS features Conor Berry‘s award winning on-screen debut as well as Tara Lee (The Fall), Sean Connor (Anna and the Apocalypse) & Grant R. Keelan (The Devil’s Machine).

Dave McLean grew up in Dundee and started promoting gigs in the nightclubs in Dundee. After he moved to London, he formed Riverman with Alex Weston becoming the main promoters of American grunge bands in the UK, including Nirvana, Mudhoney, The Smashing Pumpkins and Green Day. When the then unknown band Placebo knocked on the office door with their demo tape, he and Alex moved into management, guiding one of the most internationally successful bands of the last 20 years. As well as managing Placebo, and lately Kyle Falconer of the View, Dave still promotes shows and books bands in South East Asia. His experiences in the music business have provided many legendary stories. He started writing these down a few years ago, with the initial years in Dundee serving as the basis for ‘Schemers’. Dave now lives in Bangkok with his wife Tian and daughters Billie and Beaw but still has his roots in Dundee.

Schemers’ marks Dave Mclean’s feature film debut as a director and writer, although he was the driving force behind Placebo’s ground-breaking documentary Alt Russia (2016) where the band travelled by train throughout Russia and met local artists in every city. He also directed the documentary ‘The GoOd Father’ about Father Joe Maier in Bangkok (due for release in 2019). He has more screenplays lined up and work has recently started on his next film ‘The Mill’, set in Dundee in the 1960s.

 

About the Author

Bryen Dunn is a freelance journalist with a focus on travel, lifestyle, entertainment and hospitality. He has an extensive portfolio of celebrity interviews with musicians, actors and other public personalities. He enjoys discovering delicious eats, tasting spirited treats, and being mesmerized by musical beats.